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. 2018 Nov 15;19(4):182-186.
doi: 10.4274/jtgga.2018.0057. Epub 2018 Sep 27.

The relationship between maternal age, body mass index, and the rate of preterm birth

Joachim W. Dudenhausen  1   2 , Mirjam Kunze  3 , Ursula Wittwer-Backofen  4 , Hans Peter Hagenah  5 , Alexander Strauss  6 , Veronika Günther  7 , İbrahim Alkatout  7 , Amos Grunebaum  2 , Manfred Voigt  4   8
Affiliations

The relationship between maternal age, body mass index, and the rate of preterm birth

Joachim W. Dudenhausen et al. J Turk Ger Gynecol Assoc. .

Abstract

Objective: The aim of the present study was to assess the influence of maternal age and maternal body mass index of early pregnancy on the risk of preterm delivery.

Material and methods: The study included 2.1 million liveborn single newborns with documented data at perinatal surveys. Statistical analyses were performed using the SPSS statistics program.

Results: The risk of preterm births increased in obese women and in women with advanced age.

Conclusion: Strategies should be developed to reduce preconceptional body mass index, and guidelines are required to help advise women who postponed childbearing.

Keywords: Maternal age; body mass index; obesity; premature birth; Germany.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest: No conflict of interest is declared by the authors.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Distribution (%) of maternal age at the time of first pregnancy in Germany GDR: German Democratic Republic; FRG: Federal Republic of Germany; SH: Schleswig-Holstein
Figure 2
Figure 2. Trends in body mass index of mothers who delivered in Germany (between 1992 and 1997) and Schleswig-Holstein (between 2001 and 2009) BMI: Body mass index
Figure 3
Figure 3. Rate of preterm newborns (%) in relation to the maternal body mass index (Germany, 1995-2000, n=2,258,309) BMI: Body mass index
Figure 4
Figure 4. Rate of preterm birth as a function of maternal age and parity (Germany, 1995-2000, n=2,130,584)
Figure 5
Figure 5. Distribution of body mass index at maternal age in Germany 1992 and Schleswig-Holstein 2008/2009 BMI: Body mass index
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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